Mower frame construction



Feb. 6, 1951 s, HlLBLOM 2,540,263

MOWER FRAME CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Oct. 18, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l2 I0 I30.

INVENTOR.

SAMUEL E. HILBLOM A TTOR/VE Y 5. E. HILBLOM MOWER FRAME CONSTRUCTION Feb. 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

SAMUEL E. HILBLOM A TTOR/VE Y Original Fil means ofattacl'iirlgfmoltsl 8 as' sh'own in ili'igureg,

Patented Feb. 6, 1951 MOWER FRAME CONSTRUCTION Samuel E. Hilblom, Chicago, Ill., assignor to International Harvester Company, a' corporation of New Jersey Original application October 18, 1943, Serial No. 506.661. Divided and this application May 9, 1947, Serial No. 747,037

This application is a division of 'my co-pending application, Serial Number 506,661, filed October 18, 1943, now Patent Number 2,454,697 of November23, 1948;

This invention relates to' a mower, and more particularly to an improved mOWer frame construction.

The invention is primarily concerned with and has for a principal object the provision of an improved simplified form of mower frame construction particularly adapted for direct connection to the rear of a tractor or other supporting vehicle. It is a further object of the invention to construct the mower frame of relatively few frame members, relying principally upon tubular members to impart the desired strength and rigidity thereto. Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the disclosure is more fully made in the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings; in which:

Fig. 1 is a planview of the rear portion of'a tractor-mounted mower;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the mow- 6' Claims. (Cl. 56-25) or frame taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the structure viewed along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Although the disclosure will pertain to the detailed structure of the mower frame and its adaptation to a tractor, the invention has wider applicability and it is not intended that the scope thereof be limited by the detailed structure set forth.

The tractor mower chosen" for the purpose of frame-.designated'generally by the numeral I 4. 1

Thisjframe comprises a pair of longitudinally rearwardly extending side frame members 1.5, l 5:: cross-connected adjacent their rear ends by'a transverse tubular member hers-l5, I 5a. The side members l5 and 15a are provided at their forward ends with-notches ll andarejconnected totthehousing's [3 and l3ct' by I6, the opposite ends of'which are preferably welded to the side mem-- 2 The frame I4 is further supported on the depend ing housings l3 and l3a of the tractor by brace members I9 and' l9a secured to the housings and frame at Hand 22, and 2 la and 22a, respectively. The particular manner of connecting the frame I 4 to the tractor forms no detailed part of the present invention, being disclosed and claimed in my co-pending' application, Serial Number 506,661, now Patent Number 2,454,697, referred to above.

At its left-hand rear corner the frame I4" includes means for supporting a cutting mechan'ism' frame designated generally by the number 23. The transverse'tubular member I6 carries at its left-hand end a pair of vertically spaced longitudinally rearwardly extending supporting members in the form of straps 24 and 24a. These straps are preferably welded as at 25 to the member l6. The free or rear ends of the straps are vertically spaced apart and have positioned therein a transverse tubular member 26 (Fig. 4). A vertical pivot pin 2.l' passes through the ends of the straps24, 2411, through the end of the tubular member 26, and through a pair of spacers 28 and 28a. The short tubular bearing member'29 is welded as at 30 to the left-hand end of thembular member 26 and provides a bearing on a longitudinal horizontal axis for a coupling bar 3|, the inner or stubbleward end of which, as at 32, is carried in the bearing 29 and is held in place by collars 3 3 and 33a and pins 34 and 34a.

The coupling bar 3i extends to the right and may have mounted at its outer end conventional cutting mechanism consisting of a yoke 35, cutter bar 36, and knife 31. The knife is driven by'a pitman 38 connected at its inner or 'stubbleward end'to an eccentric 39 on a lower or driven pulley The P 165 0 is driYen by a belt 4| from a driving pu ley 42 which is in turn carried on a shaft 43J'ournaled in a supporter bearing 44 on the cutting mechanism frame 23., The support 44 preferably comprises a pair of upstanding brackets 45, 45a in the form of channels, at the upper end of whichiscarried a bearing member 46 through which the shaft 43 extends. The shaft 43-is vertically spaced above the transverse tubular member 26 and is in horizontal longitudinal aligment with a power take-off shaft 41 of the tractor. The shaft 4'! may be of conventional construction insofar as themeans for driving the same are concerned and it is not necessary to illustrate or describe. the details thereof here. The shaf telesco is'conn shaft s'ections 48 "and 49. acted.

ts' 43' and 4-1 are connected by a pair of; V The rcrmer, v a; u rs l ib tio to thef'sliait 3 43 and the latter is connected by a universal joint 5| to the power take-off shaft 41.

The frame it is additionally braced by a diagonal brace 52 which extends across the side frame members from the front end of the left frame member to the rear end of the right frame member. The brace 52 is rigidly fastened to the frame members l5, [5a by bolts 52a and 52b, respectively.

The transverse tubular member [6 of the carrying frame M has rigidly secured thereto adjacent its right-hand end a rearwardly extending supporting member 53. This member has its rear end bent downwardly as at 54 (Fig. 2) to serve as a guide for the tubular member 26 as the cutting mechanism frame 23 moves longitudinally rearwardly about the pivot pin 21, as when the cutting mechanism swings rearwardly in response to force applied thereto when the cutter bar 36 strikes an obstruction; and when the cutting mechanism is returned to its forward position for reconnection to the tractor. When the cutting mechanism is operating, it is in the position shown in Fig. 1 and ,the tubular member 26 is supported at its righthand end on the member 53. It will be noted .that the tubular member 26 is supported upon member 16 solely by member. 53 on one end, and pivot pin 2'! and straps 24, 24a on the opposite end.

The position of the cutting mechanism with respect to the carrying frame 14 is maintained by release mechanism indicated generally by the numeral 55. This mechanism consists generally of a pair of cam plates 56 and 51. The

former is rigidly carried by the right-hand frame member 15a, and the latter is relatively angularly movable about a short shaft or stud 58 extending to the right from the cam plate 5t.

Means including a compression spring 59 nor- ..mally maintains the plates in engagement and against .relative movement. The plate 51 is connected by an arm 66 to a link 61 which is in .turn connected to the yoke 35 of the cutting mechanism frame 23. When the cutter bar 36 strikes an obstruction, the cutting mechanism frame pulls on the link 6! and tends to rotate the, cam plate 51 with respect to the cam plate 56, thus allowing the cutting mechanism frame to swing rearwardly about the vertical pivot 27. When the obstruction has been eliminated, the cutting mechanism frame 23 may be restored to its operating position, whereupon the cam plates 56 and 51 are reengaged.

i V The cuttin mechanism frame further includes "an upstanding bracket 62 welded as at 63 to the righthand end of the tubular member 26 (Fig. 3). This bracket provides a bearing for the right-hand end of a transverse tubular rock 1 shaft 64, the inner end ofwhich is journaled in suitable bearings in the upstanding channels #5, 45a of the support or bracket 44. The outer or right-hand end of the rock shaft 64 may be connected by any suitable linkage, as at 65 and 66, to the cutter bar 35 and is operative toraise- Y and lower the cutter bar. The rock shaft 64 is lfurther connected by an arm 61, link 68, and ,arm 69 to a second transverse rock shaft 10. The opposite ends of the rock shaft 10 are carried in suitable bearings H in appropriate supporting structure, herein illustrated asthe fendyers of the vehicle and designated generally by Y tlgge'nu'n erals 'l2.and 12a; The rock shaft lllmay .Ilb operated byv suitable power mechanism; (not ""shown) on thetractor and my be esteemed thereto by an arm 13 and forwardly extending rod 14. The mechanism for raising and lowering the cutter bar forms no part of the present invention and the mechanism herein illustrated may be replaced by any other type.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the mower frame structure is relatively simple, is light weight, and is of sturdy construction. The frame structure lends itself readily to attachment to the tractor, as by the means shown in my co-pending application, Serial Number 506,661, now Patent Number 2,454,697.

Other advantages of the frame structure will appear to those skilled in the art, as will various modifications and alterations of the detailed structure set forth, all of which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A mower frame comprising: a pair of Iongitudinally running, transversely spaced apart the first tubular member and having its opposite ends respectively adjacent the ends of the frame members; a vertical pivot means connecting one end of the second tubular member to the first tubular member for movement of the second tubular member from a first position adjacent the first tubular member to a second position remote from the first tubular member; support means rigidly connected to one tubular member and engageable with the other tubular member, said vertical pivot means and said support means combining to constitute the sole support of said one tubular member on the other when the second tubular member is in its first position; and said support means further including a portion adapted to guide the second tubular member during at least the final phase of its movement as it returns from its second position to its first position.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1, in which:

the second tubular member carries a pair of the vertical pivot means pivoting the second tubular member to thefirst tubular member includes a pair of vertically spaced apart straps, one end of each of which partially embraces the first tubular member and is rigidly secured thzreto, the other ends of the straps being connected to the second tubular member by the vertical pivot.

5. In a tractor-mower in which the tractor includes a longitudinal main body having means including a powertake-off shaft and in which the mower is of the type directly connected to the tractor: a mower comprising a supporting frame including a generally U-shaped structure having the legs of the U formed by a pair of longitudinal, transversely spaced apart members and the bight of the U7 is formed by a transverse tubular member connected at its; opposite ends to the longitudinal members; means-on-the iongitudinalmembers for attaching the supporting frame to the tractor at a height below the tractor power take-off; a cutting mechanism frame carried by the supporting frame and including a second transverse tubular member generally par-' second tubular member; and a third transverse member parallels the second tubular member and is carried by said bracket and the aforesaid pair of brackets.

SAMUEL E. HILBLOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,269,982 Mott Jan. 13, 1942 2,331,863 Schroeppel Oct. 12, 1943 15 2,495,986 Schroeppel Jan. 31, 1950 

